Comeback
by darkestboy
Summary: A creature vows to get even with the Doctor, Amy and Rory after a previous defeat with the Time Lord, Abigail and Kazran while River tries to help in her own way. Set in between The Curse Of The Black Spot and The Doctor's Wife.


**Name:** Comeback  
**Characters:** 11th Doctor, Amy Pond, Rory Williams, River Song, Kazran Sardick, Abigail Pettigrew, The Silence, Original Characters.  
**Synopsis: **A creature vows to get even with the Doctor, Amy and Rory after a previous defeat with the Time Lord, Abigail and Kazran while River tries to help in her own way. Set in between _The Curse Of The Black Spot _and _The Doctor's Wife _as well as a time in _A Christmas Carol.___

The item that had been left on the console was something that the Doctor knew he should've noticed a while ago but he didn't. The Doctor thought that was somewhat typical of him — not noticing a strange gift left for him in his own spaceship but given that his last few adventures had resulted in a reboot of the universe, Amy and Rory getting married and a reunion with Sarah Jane Smith and Jo Jones, the Doctor wasn't going to give himself too much of a hard time for only noticing it now.

"Doesn't look like it's going to explode," the Doctor said as he took the gift into his hands and scanned it with the sonic screwdriver. Upon satisfaction of it's harmlessness, the Doctor then proceeded to open it and sighed a disappointed sigh.

It was a single disc. The Doctor knew he wasn't always the greatest at presents himself but even he was more inventive than a disc and then his noticed an inscription. It was one simple word but it was an effective one — spoilers.

"River," the Doctor murmured before slotting the disc into play. "What have you got for me now?"

"Thought you'd say something like that," River smirked as she appeared on the screen, looking somewhat more dressed down than usual. Looking at the background closely, the Doctor came to the conclusion that she was still in Stormcage. "Honestly, Doctor, I can read you like a book. An interesting one of course but definitely a book though."

"Bet you don't know what I'm going to say next though," the Doctor muttered as he resisted the temptation to fast forward through the disc.

"I don't have to," River smirked again before dropping into a more serious stance. "But what I will tell you is that you're about to land somewhere that looks harmless at first but soon won't be. And yes, sweetie, I'm not exaggerating."

"Don't I always?" the Doctor quipped but then felt silly as Abigail sauntered back into the console with a tuxedo wearing Kazran in tow.

"Is everything alright, Doctor?" Abigail came over to the Doctor as she saw how fixated he was staring at the woman on the monitor. "Who is she?"

"Looks like a love to me," Kazran interjected but the Doctor ignored him.

"I'm not sure yet," the Doctor said, not looking at either Abigail and Kazran. He just watched as River seemed to be scanning through something and then she produced a hologram of her own.

"What is that?" Kazran asked, shocked by the grotesque image that appeared on screen before River returned with a worried look.

"It's called a Talus," River said simply. "And it's looking for you, sweetie. No matter where you land, it will find you. Whatever you do, don't touch it — ever."

"How am I supposed to manage that?" the Doctor asked the screen in frustration as it went to black and River was gone. "River. Always with the teasers but never the answer."

"So what do we do now?" Abigail looked at the Doctor with concern. For the first time since she started travelling with him every Christmas, she was worried but not for herself or Kazran but for the Doctor.

For a man who talked a lot, Abigail realised that the Doctor talked very little about himself. Maybe it was both her and Kazran's faults for not asking the right questions but there had always been that feeling that not asking was the preferred option with the Doctor.

"We've landed," Kazran said, breaking the silence that had formed in the TARDIS between the three of them before looking at the designated driver of the spaceship. "Doctor?"

The Doctor paused for a few seconds deep in thought but came to the conclusion that if this was going to come after him, then he might as well face it head on but hopefully not without some fun along the way.

"Doctor, can you hear me?" Kazran said as he stepped over and tapped the Doctor's shoulder, getting the Time Lord's attention.

"Ah, right, yes, Kazran, Abigail," the Doctor smiled as he rubbed his hands together and headed towards the door, opening it. "You know what's out here, don't you?"

"A Talus?" Abigail and Kazran both asked in unison.

"More than likely," the Doctor dismissed the fear they both seemed to be exhibiting. "But more importantly, one of the greatest parties ever seen. How would you both like to meet Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe?"

Both gave an enthusiastic nod and promptly all three of them left the TARDIS but as Kazran had stepped out of the door, he was convinced that from the corner of his eye, he saw a creature in a suit with sunken eyes and no mouth. It was less than even a nanosecond but he definitely thought that he had seen it.

The hours at the party seemed to have flown by for all the three of them. Kazran had noticed that in between duets with the Doctor and Sinatra, a hasty wedding to Marilyn and Abigail revealing something that Kazran had wished she hadn't, there was also something not right in the air.

As Abigail watched another medley from Sinatra and the Doctor was trapped in a corner with Marilyn, Kazran found himself wandering outside by the pool, blending into a crowd that didn't seem to pay any heed to him in the slightest. It was then that Kazran also noticed a cloaked figure stalking the place and foolishly, Kazran gave chase.

The figure wasn't exactly running at lightening speed and there were only so many places it could've run to but Kazran caught up with it or so that was what he had believed. The creature turned to smile.

"Stupid human," the Talus snarled as it tongue protruded into Kazran and gave him an involuntary kiss. Kazran nearly went limp but managed to keep his footing. "You can't even support my life."

"Let go of me," Kazran struggled in the creature's grip. "Doctor -,"

Kazran didn't get the rest of his plea out as Talus clamped a hand over the man's mouth and dragged him off. Talus smiled at the struggling human, realising that his life would be an interesting way of obtaining the Doctor's. If the rumours were true, then the threat of an ordinary man's life should be enough for Talus to get exactly what he wanted from the Doctor. If not, then the human would and Talus would achieve his goal through less dignified measures.

The Doctor had noticed a whiff in the air and one by one, everyone in the room, except him and Abigail just stopped.

"Doctor," Abigail exclaimed, her eyes wide with horror as she saw that no-one else was moving in the room but them. "It's that Talus thing isn't it?"

"Could be," the Doctor said as he looked from the corner of his eye saw a sight outside the window that he didn't want to see. "Abigail."

"Yeah?" Abigail asked, her voice going up an octave as she looked in the same direction that the Doctor was looking. "Kazran!"

Abigail's first instinct was to run for her beloved but the Doctor grabbed a hold of her arm and stopped her. Abigail looked at the Doctor with a look of hurt and confusion.

"We have to help him."

"And we will," the Doctor assured the distressed blonde woman. "But we need to tread carefully. It's alright, I know what you're looking for or should I say whom? You stay there, I'll come to you."

The Talus smiled as the Doctor looked in his general direction and stepped out of the door. His grip on Kazran's neck was tight but if the Doctor decided to try anything funny, the young man was going to have quite a struggle swimming for his life.

Kazran had his hands bound tightly behind him with masking tape and a fair amount had also been used to gag him with it as well. He didn't understand why neither him nor Abigail were frozen like the rest of the guests. Either way, things were not looking good for him, Abigail or the Doctor at the moment.

"Let him go," the Doctor said sharply to Talus as he motioned towards Kazran, who had stopped struggling in Talus's grip.

"You first," Talus said as he slightly tipped Kazran towards the swimming pool. "Or he dies, Doctor."

"Why didn't you freeze him and Abigail?"

The Doctor had to ask the question because he needed the distraction. River had warned him not to come into contact with Talus but he needed to get Kazran to safety first, so the Doctor edged close enough. Satisfied, Talus shoved Kazran into the arms of Abigail who had come outside. As Abigail began to undo Kazran's restraints, the Doctor and the Talus circled each other.

"I kept my word," the Talus smirked as he put out his hands towards the Doctor. "Now you keep yours."

"No," the Doctor replied sharply. "Sorry, Talus, but I don't think you and I are a match."

"But I think we are," Talus shrieked in anger before launching himself towards the Doctor.

"Doctor!" both Kazran and Abigail shrieked in unison as they pushed the Doctor out of the way and Talus into the swimming pool.

"Ahh!"

Talus shrieked in the swimming pool but as he did, the Doctor, Abigail and Kazran noticed that everyone inside the building were moving again. The three of them turned around to see that Talus had made it out of the pool, looking weakened but deeply annoyed.

"You'll suffer for this," Talus shrieked in annoyance. "I will come back and next time, you won't be so lucky."

Talus teleported out of the garden, leaving the Doctor, Abigail and Kazran looking startled and confused. As the three of them went back to the party and enjoyed the rest of the evening as best they could, Talus was planning his next move.

Months had passed and Amy and Rory Pond were back in the TARDIS, sitting in the control room and cooling down after a rough adventure.

"I never want to see a pirate ship again," Rory sighed a big one as he sipped his mug of tea and then realised that Amy had given it an extra kick. "Whisky, nice, Amy."

"I thought it might help you after being lured by a siren," Amy smiled, giving Rory a playful rub to his shoulders.

"Well, we can't all be swashbucklers like you," Rory retorted affectionately towards his wife, enjoying the fact that for a few minute they were alone together.

"I was born to be a superhero," Amy joked. "Though don't tell the Doctor that. He might think I'm stealing his spotlight."

"Speaking of which, where is he?" Rory said, finishing the contents of his warm drink. "Doctor?"

The Doctor had thumbed over the DVD that River had left him during Christmas. It was months since his encounter with the Talus and even now, he was frustrated in trying to figure out what River meant and then he heard a cup smash and that alerted his senses.

"Ponds!"

The Doctor ran out of the library but by the time he made back into the console room, both Amy and Rory were unconscious on the floor and the Talus was standing by the controls, sneering at the Doctor.

"I told you I'd come back," it said as it's arms stretched, motioning the Doctor to come forward. "Now give me life."

The way the words had been uttered had sent something of a chill down the Doctor's spine. It was often a chill that the likes of the Daleks or in more recent times, the Silence had evoked within him but given that Talus had sandwiched Amy and Rory away from the Doctor's reach, the Doctor was running out of options. He needed a diversion.

"Why are they unconscious?"

It was enough to catch the Talus off guard as he realised that the Doctor was looking at Amy and Rory with a fixed stare. Brewing under the stare was something that confirmed a theory of Talus's — anger. The Time Lord was angry. These two mere mortals mattered to him. Talus was determined to use this as an advantage.

"Stalemate, Doctor," Talus smirked, feigned antipathy. "I expected better from you."

"You still haven't answered my question — why are they unconscious?" The Doctor's voice became sterner this time. Talus decided to give in.

"Compared to your last companions?" Talus looked at the Doctor and then at the roundels of the TARDIS. "This machine prevents me using other influences over them so I decided to put an old Earth term to good use."

The Doctor looked at him blankly and frustrated with it, Talus gave in and answered him properly.

"I banged their heads together." Talus looked at Amy and Rory with no compassion at all for them. "Still, they'll live. Oh wait, no they won't."

Talus laughed as he saw the anger dripping from the Doctor's face. The Time Lord even inched a little closer to him.

"Poor choice of words, Talus," the Doctor said in a calm but angry way. "I normally would've given you a chance to leave but you don't even get that now."

"Is that supposed to scare me, Time Lord?" Talus glared at the Doctor. "The Oncoming Storm makes with a threat and I'm supposed to what, exactly? Cower in a corner like a frightened child? Beg for mercy? Do you really think I'm that stupid, Doctor?"

"Yes."

The Doctor folded his arms and moved a little back. Now Talus was beginning to tire of him.

"Enough games, Time Lord," Talus smiled as he stretched his hand out to grab the Doctor. "Time to give me life."

Although Talus considered himself to be a nimble creature, he didn't expect that somewhere in the universe, the last of the Time Lords would also show nimbleness as well as the Doctor quickly pulled him out of the way and Talus fell to his knees, hissing in pain.

"You want me so bad," the Doctor smirked. "Fight for it. If you're that desperate to live, see if you can catch me because I won't make it easy for you."

"Your funeral," Talus snarled and ran after the Doctor, running down a corridor of the TARDIS ignoring that the two people he had rendered unconscious were beginning to come around.

"We need to go after them." Amy had quickly hauled herself off the ground and helped Rory up but Rory pulled her back when she attempted to go down a corridor. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to make sure you don't get killed," Rory said sharply. "The Doctor can look after himself but if we're gonna be any use to him, then we need weapons."

Rory went down under the console and came back up with a cutlass and a baseball bat. Before Amy could prize it off his hands, Rory held it away from her.

"You are not leaving me behind," Amy protested huffily.

"Of course I'm not," Rory smiled at his wife. "Do I look that stupid? Don't answer that."

"Then what?" Amy asked as Rory threw her the baseball bat and then it clicked to her what her husband was intending. "Oh right. So if you and the Doctor drive that thing back out here, I get to give some payback of my own."

"Something like that," Rory admitted as he then kissed Amy on the lips and headed down the corridor to find the Doctor.

Amy wasn't entirely sure whether or not this was a good idea and then she saw a DVD scattered on the floor with an inscription and for some reason, instinct kicked in and she stuck the DVD and began to watch River's instructions, all the while keeping an eye of the corridor where both her husband and not so imaginary friend had descended down with a monster.

Talus had been growing increasingly tired of hitting his face on the floor or a wall or wherever else the Doctor's light footedness had resulted in him landing. When the Talus had finally nearly grabbed the Time Lord, the male who had previously rendered unconscious had smacked him in the face with his fist and pulled the Doctor away from his grasp.

"Rory, good timing," the Doctor smiled as he hugged his companion. "Where's Pond?"

"In less trouble than we are," Rory said as he held the cutlass against the Talus's throat. "And that's for attacking my wife, mate."

"I do not fear you, boy," the Talus snarled at Rory, before grabbing the cutlass and shattering it in half way. "And weapons like that are useless."

"Rory, run," the Doctor yelled, pushing his companion down the corridor as the two of them began to run from Talus's grasp.

Amy kicked the console in frustration as River's DVD seemed to suffer from the very thing she did not need at the moment — scratching. As River's last words remained inaudible, Amy muttered to herself, frustrated.

"Could really do with your help right now."

Amy wasn't expecting a response but the appearance from River in the TARDIS certainly caught her off guard.

"Not yet," River said, shushing Amy as she hid below the console. Amy watched for a moment before the room became full with the Doctor, Rory and the Talus. River made sure she wasn't.

"Take it hide and seek didn't work out there," Amy quipped as the Doctor dodged another grab from the Talus. Amy tried hitting the creature with the baseball bat but he smashed it in half and pushed away from him.

"What do you think, Pond?" The Doctor looked around and saw the Talus snarling but more importantly, he had his hand around Rory's throat.

"Doctor!" Rory barely managed to gasp, trying to wriggle out of the creature's grip.

"Rory!" Amy's first instinct was to run to her husband but the Doctor stopped her in her tracks and pulled her away. Rory mouthed a thank you to the Doctor.

"Using one of my friends as a bargaining chip," the Doctor said in a stony voice. "This will not end well for you."

"It won't end well for him either or the girl for that matter," Talus snarled at the Doctor. "You've tried my patience, Doctor. Step forward or he dies."

"Don't!" Rory managed to kick the Talus hard into the shins. Grunting in pain, the Talus released his grip and Rory made his way over to the Doctor and Amy's side.

"No advantage," the Doctor said as he walked a little closer to the Talus. "This ends now. Leave my TARDIS."

"Not without you." The Talus said he went to touch the Doctor. "Your life for your companions. Isn't that what you do? Don't they matter anymore?"

The Doctor paused because in the midst of the last few second, a familiar woman had stepped up behind the Talus, slapping a handcuff on his wrist and then one on hers. The Talus looked at the woman with anger.

"We always matters." River smiled at both the Talus and the Doctor and then slipped something into his pocket. "This one belongs somewhere else, sweetie."

Before the Doctor, Amy or Rory could say anything and before the Talus could charge at the Doctor, River and the creature had teleported out of the TARDIS, leaving the three of them stunned.

"Anyone want to explain that?" The Doctor looked at his two stunned companions, before pulling out the note. "Oh dear."

"Oh dear, what?" Amy was the first to ask.

"Looks like River's got a new inmate to look after," the Doctor said as looked at the scratched DVD still stuck on a loop. "Which might explain her vagueness for once."

"You mean that thing that nearly killed the three of us broke out of Stormcage?" Rory asked.

"Of course it did," the Doctor replied. "A Talus feeds off artron energy. Give it enough and it would be powerful enough to bend the heavens and rip the universe in anyway it'd like."

"And I thought the Silence were bad," Rory said.

"So, why not kill it?" Amy asked. "If it's that dangerous. How's putting it in a prison going to be a deterrent? Stormcage can't even keep River."

"Excellent point, Pond," the Doctor smiled. "But I think we all know if River's in charge of the Talus, then it's not going to get around much."

"I'd almost feel sorry for that thing," Amy said as she went to hold Rory's hand.

"Me too, but not quite," the Doctor mused as he then paused in his thoughts.

"Doctor?" Rory looked at the time on his watch. "I think we're ready now."

"Yes, we are." The Doctor looked up at Amy and Rory and then headed to the controls to set the co-ordinates. "My Sarah Jane."

Amy and Rory had only briefly met the late Sarah Jane Smith but in the short time and like many people from the Doctor's past and future, they knew how she meant a great deal to the Doctor. As they landed in the attic of Sarah Jane's home in Bannerman Road, the couple watched as the Doctor wiped a tear from his eye and stepped out of the TARDIS to pay his last respects to a dear friend.

- The End -


End file.
